- #1
A fairly entertaining novel, actually probably worth 3.5/5, but it gets 3/5 in my current mood. It's pretty similar to Experimental Log of the Crazy Lich (was that the exact name? I can't be bothered to check), except with a Chad MC that beds women instead of a virg*n running away from marriage (oh, it accidentally became a meme phrase).The setting is not bad. It feels like a mixture of Warhammer 40k, Old World Warhammer, and the setting we had in Crazy Lich (or is actually the latter based on the former two? I haven't fully read it). It's generally good. I also like the premise idea with a time loop (time loops instead of reincarnation or transmigration seem to be a new fad; this is the third one I read recently, and all of them are good).The plot is kind of okay. The events are generally at least somewhat interesting and the progression is good. The MC is driving the plot himself instead of passively reacting to events, and is doing well. If I have to pick at something, it's that the way his relationships with love interests develop is a bit boring. He's basically like someone who played dating sims thousands of times, so even if he hasn't finished this particular game's plot (it's not a game, but I'm using it as an analogy), he still got so good at handling "love interests" that he can easily get waifus.... This is good for wish fulfillment, and works as such, but it also takes away some enjoyment of watching the feelings between him and characters grow. In fact, he basically has little in terms of feelings for most characters, or at least they aren't love, are fairly complicated, and rarely develop into something more. I don't mind well-written wish fullfilment, but I also find it a bit boring. There's no challenge, no tension. You just know he's going to take down each waifu easily, and the only questions are the specific tactics he will use and how much time it'll take him.Because it's wish fulfillment, this also means that other than the MC, the only characters that are relevant and have some personality are women. Additionally, most of them are within the "strike zone" of the author, i.e. potential harem members. It kind of makes sense in the novel, but also makes it boring for me as a reader.Speaking of characters, the protagonist is kind of good. He's also well-written as someone who has spent millennia in a time loop. He suits his backstory. However, it's also precisely because he suits it that he is a bit lacking in terms of emotions and generally boring. I would like to see more feeling from him. Then again, it's rare for Chinese webnovels to explore the protagonist's feelings and things like inner conflict or thoughts, dreams, aspirations in depth anyway.Overall, it's a good and promising novel. I just find it a bit bleak, and I simply happen to be in a mood where I'm not into this particular type of novel (as I said, I feel like reading, and am off to read, something that has more emotion between the protagonist and love interests; this one is a bit too dry for me in my current mood).